BILLINGS — As we celebrate Black History Month here at MTN, we’re continuing our series, Elevating Black Voices, highlighting some of the incredible African American leaders we have in the Billings community.
One of those leaders is MSU-Billings athletic director Michael Bazemore, a man whose impressive sports career is only triumphed by his passion for his student-athletes to grow and succeed.
Basketball may have been Philadelphia native Michael Bazemore’s first love, but football was the sport that changed his life forever.
“Once I got the football bug, it just kind of stuck, like naturally. I was good at it, and I just listened a lot, was coachable, and just been riding the wave ever since,” Bazemore said on Monday.
That wave started right out of high school when he was recruited to play for the Spartans as a defensive end at Michigan State University.
“I definitely am nostalgic and go back, like aw man, if I could just have just starred in more games, or done this and that, I for sure would have definitely been a more high-profile selection for the NFL,” said Bazemore.
His talents, however, did get him recruited to play in the Indoor Football League for the Billings Outlaws back in 2007.
“Honestly just kind of took a leap of faith and flew out to Billings, and the rest is kind of history,” Bazemore said.
He helped the Outlaws win two championships in his three years on the team. He finally retired from football after a yearlong stint with the Sioux Falls Storm.
“My body was getting beat up, and I knew at some point in time, I was going to have to give the football playing dream, put that to rest,” Bazemore said.
But he wasn’t done making an impact on Billings. After football, he pursued a graduate degree at MSU-Billings in sports management and worked in various roles with the Yellowjackets for four years.
“Just was booting my resume, just booting my skill sets. So, from my internship to being hired on staff here, I think that lead me to working with the Wolves,” Bazemore said.
After working as director of player personnel with the Wolves, he went on to the NCAA national office in Indianapolis.
“It was a cool experience because you get a chance to work in college athletics from a 20,000-foot level and you get to see it from a holistic approach,” said Bazemore.
But the father of two couldn’t stay away from the Magic City for long.
"I've always enjoyed the people of Billings and that's part of the reason why I came back," Bazemore said.
Bazemore came back to Billings in 2021 to become MSU-B’s athletic director. It’s a city, he’s said, that’s always welcomed him, even if he may look different than most people he meets.
"You may be the only black person that they've actually had the chance to have an in-person interaction with. You can dispel a lot of the stereotypes that they may have just ‘cuz of the narratives that can be out there,” Bazemore said.
He brings his passion with him every day as the athletic director of MSU-B.
“My vision is to have Billings, MSU-B, be one of the premier D-2 athletic departments and institutions within this region,” said Bazemore.
And he hopes that he can share his experience as a college athlete with the students he sees every day.
“It’s pretty cool to have a chance to be on this side of the equation and to be whatever the student-athletes want me to be. Is it a father figure, an uncle, a cousin, or brother, or whatever. I just make sure I am doing them a service and making sure their experience is going to be top-notch,” Bazemore said.
A man dispelling stereotypes and changing lives, on campus and beyond.
“Go where your interests and your passions lie. That’s going to take you far,” said Bazemore.
